Board of Deputies announces new Commission on Disability Inclusion
The organisation describes how the new Commission 'will examine the barriers faced by disabled Jews across the UK and set out practical, evidence-based recommendations for change'
The Board of Deputies has launched a Commission on Disability Inclusion in the Jewish Community, with the aim of examining barriers faced by disabled Jews across the UK and providing evidence-based recommendations for change.
The new commission, announced today, will be chaired by former Board President, Vivian Wineman, who is a longstanding activist on disability inclusion. The Board described how the work of the Commission “will be shaped by panels of those with lived experience of disability; parents and carers; academic experts; and relevant Jewish communal organisations.”
It described how over the coming weeks, the Commission would “convene the Jewish community’s leading disability organisations, to agree the Commission’s Terms of Reference and launch a community-wide call for evidence. This process is being designed in collaboration with disability experts from across the community to ensure it is accessible, inclusive and open to all who wish to contribute.”
Jewish News understands that the different religious denominations of the UK’s Jewish community will also be working with the Commission.
Wineman, who led the Board from 2009-2015, said: “This Commission brings together two issues that have been profoundly important to me throughout my life. The first is supporting children with special needs. I have been involved in this work since long before my son Yair’s challenges became apparent. Special needs children, their parents and carers must have our support.
“It is entirely right that the community’s representative body should engage seriously with an issue of great importance to Jews across the country.
“This Commission is an opportunity for us to listen, learn, and act. I hope it will galvanise our community to ensure that every Jewish person with a disability – and every family supporting them – can fully participate in our communal life with dignity.”
Phil Rosenberg, the Board’s current president, said: “Our community thrives when every one of us can participate with dignity and confidence. When I stood to be president, I made a manifesto pledge to launch this commission as part of a wider commitment to championing inclusion as a core mission. I am pleased today to deliver on that promise.
“I am very grateful to Vivian for agreeing to chair this vital project, and I look forward to seeing the community come together to build a more accessible and inclusive future.”
In his former role as the Board’s Director of Public Affairs, Rosenberg was closely involved in the Board’s Commission on Racial Inclusivity in the Jewish community. Undertaken during the Presidency of Marie van der Zyl, it investigated the experiences of Black British Jews, Jews of Colour and Sephardi, Mizrahi and Yemenite Jews within the wider UK Jewish community, and provided a series of recommendations.
The Board’s Workplace & Inclusion Officer Noah Katz and Deputy & Community Engagement Manager Sara Radivan will provide the Secretariat to the new Commission.
The Board said it is in the process of assembling a panel of academic specialists in disability, inclusion, social policy, and related fields, and asked that those interested in contributing should email with a brief overview of relevant experience.
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